by Ben Hogwood
It’s been a week for techno in Arcana towers – and following yesterday’s review of Carl Craig’s Landcruising, I have done a bit of a deep dive into the music of his fellow Detroit luminary Kenny Larkin. The results have been consistently inspiring, but I wanted to share two special rediscoveries, in the form of Chasers and Loop 2. Happy Friday!
Published post no.2,620 – Friday 8 August 2025
by Ben Hogwood
What’s the story?
The durability of techno as a form of music is emphasized by the fact that some of the landmark albums in its recent history are reaching significant landmarks. Carl Craig’s Landcruising is one such long player, the Detroit producer’s debut album, originally released on Blanco Y Negro, clocking up 30 years in the game. In a sense the album is a response to classic electronic travel albums such as Kraftwerk’s Trans Europe Express, but was apparently conceived as a soundtrack to driving round his home city of Detroit.
What’s the music like?
Thirty years old it may be, but Landcruising still has the air of the future about it. He achieves this through a combination of movement and serenity that gives the music a rarefied light. Mind Of A Machine has a distinctive snare drum pattern and floating synths, while a free form jazz makes itself known over the contours of Science Fiction, along with a subtle homage to Jean-Michel Jarre.
Technology is more imposing, a little bit threatening even, as is Landcruising itself, though both capture the movement and ever-changing panorama of the window views. Meanwhile Einbahn’s minimal profile and the urgency of They Were are also captivating. Although some of the rhythms are forward and dominating there is also an intricacy at work in Craig’s compositions, the music carefully and delicately shaded at times.
As bonus material there are four added mixes of Science Fiction, with a particularly good contribution from Kenny Larkin, and some evocative notes in suitable font from Bill Brewster, whose note – “the point is not the destination but the journey” – sums the album up perfectly.
Does it all work?
It does. The idea that techno could not create music of meaning or emotion is never further from the truth than it is here.
Is it recommended?
It is – one of the essential documents in Detroit’s storied musical history, and a landmark album in the history of techno. It sounds as modern as it ever did!
Listen / Buy
For more information, head to the Cherry Red Records website
Published post no.2,619 – Thursday 7 August 2025
by Ben Hogwood
What’s the story?
In the words of the press release:
France-the 1980s. A local radio and studio system almost unsurpassed in Europe – add brilliantly inventive labels and producers with a sense of fun & adventure & the result?
A golden age of Synth-Pop – Post-Disco..inventing the future…celebrating the chanson of the past. Updating that for a new generation & a new dancefloor. Virtually neglected until now – only the heads knowing…
Presented in the classic 45 (Quarante Cinq) 7″ format – the way that these great records were produced for the radio & were meant to be heard at that moment. Curated & with sleeve notes By John Kertland Of CTR, in English and French.
Now, the “savoir” is yours also. Hard to find 7″s by elusive artistes…Tangui/Kelly Way/Generation Egoiste & More…Glorious vocals ,soaring synths and irresistible basslines it’s all here ..
Bon écoute !
What’s the music like?
Tres bien! There is a lot of fun in store here, with some brilliantly bonkers synth pop, bursting with tunes and good vibes. The title track from Corinne Tell gives us a flavour of what to expect, before the brilliantly mad chorus of Fabienne Stoko’s Poupee.
Valene’s Sauve Moi has a great riff, while Tangui’s Amour Combat has a big chorus Kim Wilde would be proud of. Generation Egoiste (Tout Tout D’Suite) Egoiste is a lot of fun, from Generation Egoiste, while Kira’s Vacances A Deux is an appealing and humourous quicker disco march. The compilation signs off with Nani Antoni’s excellent Faites Vos Jeux.
Does it all work?
It does. There are some rough edges here, too, which only add to the listening appeal.
Is it recommended?
Enthusiastically. Loads of smiles and good times to be had with this compilation! Packed with riffs and a lot of dance appeal.
For fans of… Desireless, Brigitte Bardot, Imagination, Shakatak
Listen / Buy
Published post no.2,618 – Wednesday 6 August 2025
by Ben Hogwood
What’s the story?
Oxford producer Sebastian Reynolds follows up his September 2023 debut album, Canary, with this set of reworks bringing together source material from collaborations with his previous bands, namely Flights Of Helios and The Epstein.
The collaborative album also welcomes Irish artists Bróna McVittie, Rezo and The Mining Co. as well as West Country group Will Lawton & The Alchemists and New York duo Kritters. The album complements his atmospheric writing with Neon Dance, and his self-termed “athletics themed bangers”, produced with Dubwiser and darqwud.
What’s the music like?
The heat haze of summer courses through Reynolds’ music. He is a gifted and versatile writer, bringing a wide range of beats and textures to make an album that runs fluently.
The songwriting is on point, too – IYSCM especially, a reimagining of If You Could See Me, where breathy vocal interjections are complemented by guitarist Myles Cochran. The destination here is unmistakably poolside, with a lovely Balearic disco feel.
The warmth is a feature of the album, which unwinds with a reworking of Dubwiser’s The Jackal), a loping broken beat number with UNKLE leanings (Molotov, with Rezo), and the breezy Fossils Of The Mind, a collaboration with Will Lawton & The Alchemists. Also making its mark is the attractive indie-baggy hybrid Broken, with Bróna McVittie, and One Year To Go, a Michael Patrick Gallagher co-write with more than a hint of Andrew Weatherall. Finally Make This Our Drone removes the beats but turns everything up to 11, a richly coloured wall of sound.
Does it all work?
It does – and if anything some of the reworks later in the album could be longer, for good vibes abound in their rich melodic content.
Is it recommended?
Enthusiastically. The carefree mood created by New Beginnings is perfect for summer listening, a blissful set of sounds that cover a surprisingly large number of bases. Sebastian Reynolds is a talented producer and songwriter, who deserves to expand his audience considerably with this welcome dose of musical warmth.
For fans of… UNKLE, Ian Brown, Andrew Weatherall, Gorillaz
Listen / Buy
Published post no.2,603 – Tuesday 29 July 2025
from the press release, edited by Ben Hogwood
London-based, Australian-born producer, songwriter and DJ, HAAi (aka Teneil Throssell) has shared the latest track from her eagerly anticipated new album – HUMANiSE – out on 10 October 2025 via Mute on limited edition clear double gatefold vinyl and limited-edition CD in eco card packaging.
The new album – an immense evolution from her acclaimed debut – reckons with what it is to be human in an increasingly digital world, as AI threatens to eclipse everything and our screens separate us from each other.
You can listen to Hey! below:
Talking about the new track, Teneil explains, “‘Hey!’ is dedicated to the unmatched human connection we feel on the dance floor. The repeated lyrics “can’t live without you” is a nod to my love for the club and the people in it.”
Hey is an immensely likeable track, with an immediacy born of the dance floor and a direct style with repetition of voices that intersects a little with Caribou’s more minimal work.
The press release continues: In all of her work, Teneil has always sought to conquer new frontiers in electronic music, and on the new album, she’s drilling deeper into the grid to deliver an ambitious and thrilling epic: embodying a sonic step up, exploring the sweet spot between machine-led dystopia and emotion-filled utopia. “Throughout the album, I kept thinking about a machine with a human heart,” she says. Where previously she’s been hidden by a laptop, or obscured behind the decks, more recently she was, “inspired to return to my songwriting roots and use my voice more in my own music.”“Throughout the album, I kept thinking about a machine with a human heart,” she says. Vocals are front and centre, stunningly delicate and giving a newfound dimension to her kinetic productions. “It took a long time to get there, it’s such a vulnerable thing to do,” she continues, “but for this album, it was important for me to allow this ‘human heart’ to be front and centre.”
The human heart has another focus on the album: unity and community. HAAi explains, “Even though HUMANiSE is about how the world is starting to change beyond our control, it’s important to keep a sense of togetherness and hope.” These ideas of community and a sense of belonging is of utmost importance, and she has returned to work with friends including Jon Hopkins, Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip, singer Obi Franky and rapper KAM-BU, artist Kaiden Ford, as well as poet James Massiah, who guests on ‘All That Falls Apart’, and two choirs: TRANS VOICES with choir leader ILĀ and a gospel choir led by Wendi Rose. But this is no clique, the community she surrounds herself with is inclusive, with ample space for the listener on a journey where you are suspended in dreamlike euphoria, drawing the most human part of you to the surface – the part where nothing matters more than family, friends, and togetherness.
HUMANiSE is out on 10 October 2025 via Mute on limited edition clear double gatefold vinyl and limited edition CD in eco card packaging. You can pre-order here
Published post no.2,603 – Tuesday 22 July 2025
Arcana.fm 